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Decisions, decisions: Wolves pick 3rd in CHL Import Draft

The Sudbury Wolves will use their first pick in the 2015 CHL Import draft, that is certain, but who they will take — and who they will have to remove from their roster — is still very much up in the air.
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The CHL Import Draft goes June 30. With the Wolves picking third overall, and with teams only allowed two imports on their protected list, the fates of Pavel Jenys (left) and Ivan Kashtanov will be decided Monday. Kashtanov image by Terry wilson/OHL Images; Jenys photo by Aaron Bell/OHL Images
The Sudbury Wolves will use their first pick in the 2015 CHL Import draft, that is certain, but who they will take — and who they will have to remove from their roster — is still very much up in the air.

Sudbury currently has two import draft players on their bench, Pavel Jenys and Ivan Kashtanov, both taken last year.

“We’ve had discussions regarding both our import players,” said Blaine Smith, Wolves president and GM. “Because we are selecting 3rd overall in the CHL Import draft it’s important for us to use that early pick.”

“It’s one of those things where you can only have two import players on your protected list at any one time, so we will have to delete one.”

Kashtanov finished the season with six goals and 11 assists. Jenys led the Wolves in points last season with 45 and Smith believes he has the edge.

“He would be the odds-on favourite to return, but he did sign a contract with the Minnesota Wild, and we’re just trying to figure the percentage chance that he would be back,” Smith said. “So far, we’re getting the indication that he would be back.”

Come Monday, the Wolves make their decision regarding Jenys and Kashtanov. Tuesday, the team will use that third overall pick in the 2015 CHL Import Draft.

Smith said who will be picked depends heavily on the NHL draft.

“We feel the best names who may come will not be known until the draft is over,” Smith said.

Typically, when an NHL team drafts an import, they bring them over to learn the North American-style game via the Import Draft.

And the Wolves are going into it knowing what they want.

“I think anytime you’re selecting as high in the draft as we are, looking for a skilled player regardless of position, we can’t select goaltenders so it will be a forward or defensemen,” said Smith.

The first round of the NHL draft goes tonight, with round two to seven going tomorrow morning.

Two Wolves are expected to be taken, with defencemen Kyle Capobianco and forward Matt Schmalz both among the top 200 prospects in North America.

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